On this and other forums I’ve seen a lot of posts from owners of older BMWs (older than 2011) asking whether it’s possible to activate 6NR, Connected Drive option on their vehicles, and I decided to create this thread to let all of the owners know that the answer is “YES”. Despite what you might have been told by BMW dealer, it is possible to enable BMWs apps, Bluetooth option, Facebook, album art display, video from iPhone, etc. in your vehicle! Depending on your vehicle’s current options and retrofits, you may need different products and/or coding. Please send us an email at info@bimmerretrofit.com, with your VIN number and options that you wish to have, and we will tell you what you will need!

Recently, I created a post called, “Why you should never buy CIC navigation systems from non-professionals”, which many forum users have found helpful. Due to some of the recent events, I decided to create this thread to bring to your attention some of the issues that you may encounter when you order Combox Media / 6NR retrofits from non-professionals (Ebay, Amazon, amateurs, etc).

When you buy Combox Media / 6NR retrofit from non-professionals, you may end up in a situation when you have spent a couple of hundred dollars on the retrofit that does not work at all for one of the following reasons:

1. The seller does not take the time to understand your vehicle’s current options and configurations and sells you a standard kit, which is not compatible with your vehicle, because your vehicle is not Combox-ready and misses the required items for correct installation. When you contact the seller for support you do not get any help, and your local BMW is not able to help you as well. So you have spent money for a retrofit and received nothing in return. There is a way to remedy this situation, but few people/companies know how to do this, Bimmer Retrofit is one of them.

2. You were lucky, and the seller sent you the complete Combox Kit for your specific vehicle, but it still does not work, because coding is required. However, the seller either (a) did not tell you about this in advance, or (b) does not know how to do PROPER coding. Either way, you will be stuck with a Combox Media / 6NR that do not function properly, because no coding has been done or has been improperly done.

In the example that serves as the basis of this post, the customer purchased from eBay and found himself in exactly this situation. For two months he was trying to figure out why his Combox / Connected Drive is not working and was not able to find a solution, until he found Bimmer Retrofit.

When you buy from eBay or other non-professionals, please be very careful and make sure you understand exactly what you are getting for your money before your commit to buy.

I have an early 2010 build 2011 BMW 335is. I have all of the options (bluetooth, nav, phone dock, etc.) that would be needed for 6NR had it been built 3/11+. How difficult is it to retrofit this set up if even possible? Do you know if this will still work with the iPhone 5? Thanks!

I have an early 2010 build 2011 BMW 335is. I have all of the options (bluetooth, nav, phone dock, etc.) that would be needed for 6NR had it been built 3/11+. How difficult is it to retrofit this set up if even possible? Do you know if this will still work with the iPhone 5? Thanks!

Hello, this should not be difficult. To know exactly what you will need I will need to know your VIN (vehicle identification number). You can send me an email to info@bimmerretrofit.com, and I will let you know.

I understand you are a vendor here, but in a forum for help and discussion, can it be made public what individuals need? I have an 09 with CIC with 6FL, how could i get the album art etc?? No i dont want to PM you and listen to a sales pitch.

I understand you are a vendor here, but in a forum for help and discussion, can it be made public what individuals need? I have an 09 with CIC with 6FL, how could i get the album art etc?? No i dont want to PM you and listen to a sales pitch.

They request a PM with your VIN so they can see exactly what options your car already has in it.

Some cars may need additional parts while other cars don't need anything except the FSC code and the coding done. Providing your VIN via PM keeps your VIN number private (not displaying it to the whole board) and allows the vendor to give you an accurate description of what you need.

My car is a late 2010 car, the kit was assembled in my country in 2011. It has a combox, full bluetooth prep, tv tuner, voice control, etc. I don't see a connected drive option. Is it possible to get it enabled from the BMW dealer easily? Or will some retrofits need to be done?

I am picking up a 2010 E92 with CIC and bluetooth but no Combox or Assist. I am interested in the combox 6NR retrofit but I don't understand why I can't find a single post discussing the cost. Not even a rough estimate. All I see are vendors saying "PM me and I'll tell you" which seems kind of secretive and makes me reluctant. I get it that there are a bunch of different combinations but most people on these forums are used to discussing the detail of complex variations already. Surely, someone can post up a list of the significant/common combinations and what the rough level of effort/cost might be.

Or I can post a list of the options on the vehicle I am picking up and then you can reply with a rough estimate for that particular set of options. Just a suggestion. I want to do it but only for the right price and the lack of upfront discussion on cost makes me think twice.

I am picking up a 2010 E92 with CIC and bluetooth but no Combox or Assist. I am interested in the combox 6NR retrofit but I don't understand why I can't find a single post discussing the cost. Not even a rough estimate. All I see are vendors saying "PM me and I'll tell you" which seems kind of secretive and makes me reluctant. I get it that there are a bunch of different combinations but most people on these forums are used to discussing the detail of complex variations already. Surely, someone can post up a list of the significant/common combinations and what the rough level of effort/cost might be.

Or I can post a list of the options on the vehicle I am picking up and then you can reply with a rough estimate for that particular set of options. Just a suggestion. I want to do it but only for the right price and the lack of upfront discussion on cost makes me think twice.

Let me see if I can come with a rough estimate: (for europe)
This is an estimate of the dealer price for hardware alone- (all from BMW dealer) (all prices in Euro)

Or I can post a list of the options on the vehicle I am picking up and then you can reply with a rough estimate for that particular set of options. Just a suggestion. I want to do it but only for the right price and the lack of upfront discussion on cost makes me think twice.

And the difference between that and sending them a private message would be what? Not junking up the thread with a ton of pricing requests? It's not like you are locked into buying from them just because you sent a PM. Send PM's to both retrofit vendors on the site and compare pricing.

It's very common practice on forums for vendors to request customers to PM them for pricing information because they may not watch every thread they start but they do watch their PM's. (I know I wouldn't want an email notification every time someone put some random post in a thread I started).

Also, pricing is listed on their websites 99% of the time. If you already know what you need, you can get an idea of pricing from their website.

I backed out as well.. I'd love to do it, even as a DIY, I have the coding cables, guides and everything.. but when I factor in the price for the parts it's just not worth it to get some album covers, FB and streaming BT music. Instead, I bought myself a tiny Bluetooth streamer that I plugged into the aux port. granted I can't change the tunes from my steering wheel or idrive wheel, but I only had to spend 20$ for it and manage the music from the cradle instead.

Let me clarify:
1. As a vendor, we are not allowed to post prices on the forums
2. Our general prices are presented on the website. If you want to know the exact price for your specific vehicle - email us with your VIN, since we are not able to give a quote without seeing the VIN - this is our policy, especially for 6NR, since depending on the vehicle's configuration, the prices can vary.
3. For more technically inclined users, these are the pre-requisites for 6NR: SA609, SA6VC and SA6FL.

My car is a late 2010 car, the kit was assembled in my country in 2011. It has a combox, full bluetooth prep, tv tuner, voice control, etc. I don't see a connected drive option. Is it possible to get it enabled from the BMW dealer easily? Or will some retrofits need to be done?

For you it looks like you wouldn't need to get any additional hardware, as it can be activated remotely.